The Alchemy Index
by Mii-Chan 24
Summary: Take a behind-the-scenes look into the world of FMA... Animeverse and Mangaverse fair game. May contain spoilers.
1. Falling Down

**The Alchemy Index**

**By Amaya 24**

**File 1: Falling Down**

* * *

It was my mommy's birthday today. I remember 'cause she made me wear a red dress. She always said that I looked pretty in red.

I looked up at my mommy, who was getting ready for the party my daddy had gotten ready for her. All of their friends had been invited, and now we were just waiting for them to show up. My mommy put on the pearls Daddy bought for her as a present, smiling at me through the mirror.

"Ellie? Tell your brother to get ready. The guests will be here any minute now," She said. I nodded, smoothing out my red dress and running out of the room. We lived in a big house; it had four floors, and Mommy said that her and Daddy would rent out rooms to people who needed them.

I knocked on my big brother's door, peeking around the side.

"Big brother? Mommy said to get ready." I told him. He looked up at me and gave me a small grin.

"Alright kid. Gimmie a second." He sighed, rolling off his bed. I nodded, running down the stairs to see what my daddy was doing.

Daddy was in the kitchen, getting everything ready for the party. He smiled at me.

"Hello, sweetie." He said, moving to the sink to wash his hands. After he dried them, he picked me up, setting me on the counter. He picked up a spoon and dipped it into a pot.

"What do you think? Will Mommy like it?" He asked me. I opened my mouth, biting on the spoon's handle. The sauce was yummy, really really good. I nodded, grabbing the spoon and licking it. My daddy smiled.

"Don't eat it now," He warned as I tried to dip the spoon in again. "You won't be hungry during the party." I pouted. Fine then.

--------------------------------

"Big brother? I'm bored." I whispered to my brother. I thought the party was gonna be fun, but it was only a bunch of adults talking. Some of them were smoking, sending stinky black smoke to the ceiling. I wrinkled my nose and shuffled to the window, where there was more fresh air. Brother followed me, smiling slightly.

"I know; I'm bored too. But it's Mom's birthday party, not yours, Ellie." He said. I nodded, looking out the window at the gray sky. I sighed, turning away and looking at all the people. Most were dressed up in bright colors or black suits, but I saw a lot of people wearing blue uniforms. I asked Brother about it, and he said that Daddy worked in the State Military; those were just some of the soldiers. I said that I'd never seen Daddy wear that blue uniform, and Brother said that Daddy didn't wear it that much at home. I shrugged.

"Hey," Brother said suddenly. I looked up at him. "You know what? I bet Beary's bored too. Why don't you bring him down?" I thought about it. Beary was upstairs, all on his own.

"I'll be right back," I promised, running up the stairs to my room. On the bed, Beary looked at me. "I'm sorry, Beary. I didn't wanna leave you here, honest! Mommy called me and I forgot," I told him, clutching him by his arm.

I ran back down the stairs, almost tripping on the last step. One of the people in blue stopped me, though. He smiled at me. He had a nice smile.

"And what's your name, kiddo?" He asked, crouching down on the floor. I grinned at him.

"Ellie."

"And who's your friend?" He asked, smiling at me the way big people always do when I say something. Like they're making fun of me. I held up Beary for him to see.

"It's my bear." I said, looking down at my shoes. The man laughed a little and gave me Beary back.

"Well, I'm sure he's a great bear." I nodded, looking up at him. He had black hair, and looked a little older than Brother.

"What's your name?" I asked, looking back down again. He laughed again.

"I'm Sergeant Will Cooper," The man said, straightening up and doing something funny with his hand. I tried to copy him; he put his hand on his forehead and pulled away quick.

"What's a Sargent?" I asked, looking at his blue uniform. It looked just like the uniform of the man behind him, and the woman talking with my Mommy in the living room. Will Cooper grinned.

"It's... it's like a name. They give it to people who work in the military." He said, smiling slightly.

"Is my Daddy a Sargent too?" He frowned for a second. But then Daddy came up, looking worried.

"Daddy!" I cried, hugging his knees. "Daddy, lookit my new friend!" I said, pointing at Will Cooper. Mister Cooper looked at my Daddy and gulped, standing up and doing the little hand thing again.

"G-General Marshal!" He said, sounding funny. I looked at him.

"Daddy? What's a general?" Daddy looked at me and smiled.

"I'm a General, sweetie."

"I thought you were a Sargent." Daddy laughed, and Will Cooper laughed behind him, looking kind of sick. "I almost fell down the stairs, Daddy." I told him, nodding up and down. "But Sargent Will Cooper helped me!" Daddy smiled at me.

"Well, then, I guess you should thank Sergeant Cooper, don't you think?" I nodded and let go of his legs.

"Thank you, Sargent Cooper." I said, hugging him. I reached his knees, just like with Daddy. Will Cooper smiled, patting my head.

"Ellie, sweetheart, why don't you go with your brother? I need to speak to Sergeant Cooper for a bit." I nodded. I needed to show Brother Beary's tie.

"Brother!" I called, running to the window. Brother turned around, looking worried. "Brother, what's wrong?" Brother shook his head, looking out the window again and turning to me.

"What's up?" He asked me, crouching down to pick me up and set me on the windowsill. I giggled, showing him Beary's new tie. "Very good. He looks fancy now," Brother said loyally. I nodded, hugging Beary.

"You know what? Beary's tie is the same color as your dress," Brother said, pointing at my dress. I nodded again. Suddenly, the floor started shaking. I felt Brother grab me, pulling me away from the window hard. I cried, almost dropping Beary. A lot of people screamed, some of them looking around crazily.

"Everybody calm down!" Daddy shouted, his voice reaching everyone even though everyone was screaming. The floor shook again and I screamed, feeling as Brother hugged me tight. I hugged Beary, telling him everything would be all right.

After a while, the shaking stopped. I hugged Brother, feeling scared. Then hands picked me up.

"Ellie?" I blinked, looking up at Will Cooper. He smiled at me, his face really pale. "Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded, crying into his shirt. I was so scared... Will Cooper patted my back, talking to Brother.

"Your dad told me to check on you guys. Everything okay?" He asked, patting my back. I turned a little to see Brother nod at him.

"A little shaken up, no biggie." He said, his voice doing that funny thing it did when he got scared.

"Ellie? Nick?" Daddy called, pushing his way through the people. They were all talking quietly, some of them crying. Mommy was right behind him, reaching out for me.

"Mommy..." I cried, hugging her neck.

"It's okay, sweetie. It's okay..." Mommy murmured, running her hand through my hair. I nodded, sniffling.

Daddy, Will Cooper, and Brother were talking to each other.

"... Earthquake?" Brother asked, glancing out the window quickly. Daddy shrugged.

"Maybe it was a transmutation?" Will Cooper whispered. Daddy frowned.

"How?"

"We got a report a few hours ago that Liore had had an earthquake earlier this afternoon... around the same time we did." Mommy breathed in sharply.

"We had an earthquake here earlier?" She asked, doing that quiet voice that Daddy always said he was afraid of. Daddy nodded.

"A few blocks away from Central Command. It opened up a huge gap from Main Street down to the warehouse district. I didn't think it would affect us. We live north of Central Command, and the worst seismic activities were centered around the warehouse district." Daddy said quickly. I remembered seeing a bunch of birds go flying in the air down the parade street this morning.

"Should I call Central Command, General?" Will Cooper asked, looking at Daddy. Daddy shook his head.

"If it were serious, they'd have called us."

"Unless the power lines are dead," Brother chimed in. Daddy sighed and walked to the kitchen. Mommy handed me to Will Cooper.

"I'm sorry to be a bother, but I should make sure no one panics. Do you mind...?" She asked, trying to uncurl me from her neck. Will shook his head.

"Not a problem," He smiled, picking me up. I sniffled, looking up at the ceiling. I saw a little crack on the far side of the room.

"Hey, don't be scared, Ellie. It'll be okay," Will murmured, patting my back. Brother nodded.

"We'll be fine," He said, giving me a little smile. I nodded.

"I wanna get down," I told Will. He nodded, and I sat on Brother's lap. I looked out the window, and saw the building across the street had tumbled down.

"I'll be back in a while..." Will told Brother.

"Ellie, why don't you take a nap? It'll make time go faster," Brother said. I shrugged, curling on his lap. Brother shifted and picked up Beary. I hugged him, staring out the window.

A little while later, a boy wearing a red jacket walked down the street, looking confused. I poked Brother.

"Look..." I whispered, watching the guy. He looked younger than Brother, but way older than me. The guy turned around suddenly, and another guy wearing funny clothes walked up behind him. They looked like brothers.

They started talking, fighting maybe, when a loud crack made me look up. The crack I'd seen on the wall was bigger now, running down the wall.

"Look!" I said, pointing at the wall. Brother looked up, his eyes wide.

"Watch o--" Then the whole world came down. I couldn't breathe! I felt like I was being squished really slowly, real painful. Someone screamed; maybe it was me? I felt like my throat was filling with salty water, except it tasted yucky. I couldn't feel my hand, or Beary. Where's Brother? Daddy? Mommy? Will?

Everthing's getting dark now...

* * *

**A/N: If you people didn't get it, this is during Conqueror of Shamballa, when Al tries to transmute the building where the little girl's hand is sticking out from under the rubble. This is absolute crap, but the idea's been in my mind for a while, so I felt like I had to let it out. This is the first in a series of one-shots (I hope). All of them ranging from humor to angst to supernatural... **

**By the way, I misspelled 'Sergeant' wrong on purpose. It's a little girl; I doubt she knew how to spell sergeant correctly. If you want more, or have any suggestions, review, okay?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. I only own the little girl's family and Will Cooper. **


	2. Scared

**The Alchemy Index**

**By Amaya 24**

**File 2: Scared**

**

* * *

**"I'm at the end of the line here, Nina..." 

"Daddy..." I hugged him. Daddy was so sad... I wanted to help him. Daddy hugged me back, then stood up, grabbing my hand.

"Come along now, Nina," He said, snapping his fingers at Alexander.

"Daddy, where are we going?" I asked. Daddy looked down at me, the light making his glasses look funny. He gave me a funny smile. His hands were sweaty; it was kind of yucky.

"Don't worry about it, Nina," Daddy whispered, wiping his hand on his pants and grabbing my hand again. "Come on, Alexander!" Daddy called, and Alexander came over, licking my other hand.

"Hi Alexandew," I said, patting his head. Daddy looked at us, then he pulled me along, down to the basement.

"But Daddy... You said to not go into the basement." I said, looking up at him. Daddy smiled.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. Everything's going to be okay." I nodded.

"Okay Daddy."

--------------------------------

"Nina, I need to you to stand still for me, okay?" Daddy said, grabbing my shoulders and making me stand in one of his magic circles. I nodded. "Hold Alexander, will you, sweetheart?" I nodded again.

"Come here, Alexandew." Alexander whimpered, looking a Daddy funny. "It's okay, Alexandew. Evewything's gonna be okay. Daddy'll take cawe of us."

Alexander whined again, and I scratched his head. He was probably scared from all of those things in the cages. I patted his head.

"It's gonna be okay, Alexandew. Daddy's gonna take cawe of us. See? He's using his magic circle, just like little big brother." I looked at Daddy. He was reading one of his big books, his mouth moving fast. He smiled then, walking over to us. Alexander cried again, trying to get away from Daddy.

"Shhh... Everything's going to be okay." Daddy said, sticking his hand out for Alexander to lick. He made a funny face, then looked at me.

"Nina?" I looked at him. "Listen to me, darling. This is going to hurt a little, but trust me. Everything's going to be okay." I nodded, grabbing Alexander's neck and hugging him.

"I love you, Nina. You know that, right?" Daddy said, bending over his magic circle. I nodded.

"I love you too, Daddy. Alexandew does too." Daddy nodded, putting his hands on the circle, making a pretty yellow light come up from the lines. Then the light started turning ugly red, making my skin hurt.

"Daddy?!" I cried, holding Alexander closer. Alexander was barking, trying to get away, but he couldn't. "Daddy?! What's happening?! _Daddy!!!_"

Daddy smiled. "Don't worry Nina. Everything's okay." Now the light was really hurting me, making my tummy and my heart and my head feel funny. My tummy hurt really bad, like someone was hitting it with something sharp.

"Daddy..." I cried, my head hurting really bad. Alexander cried out, lying down so it wouldn't hurt him that much. I bent over; maybe that'll stop the hurt. My throat was really sore, really scratchy.

"Alexandew!" I cried again, watching Alexandew's tail _come off_. Then my back, my head, my tummy, _everything_ hurt so bad... I closed my eyes and everything went black.

--------------------

"I told you I'd let you see," I heard Daddy's voice. I looked up, but everything looked funny. And everything hurt. I saw my little big brother and bigger brother walk into the basement, little big brother looking mad.

"Darling," Daddy said, bending over next to me. "This is your friend Edward. You remember him, don't you?"

"Ed...Ward... Friend?" I said, my throat feeling funny. I whimpered. This isn't right... What's wrong? What did Daddy do to me and Alexander? And why am I sitting on the floor?

"That's very good, dear." Daddy said, patting my head. It hurt when his hand touched me.

"That's... very... good..." I said. _I'm scared_, I wanted to say, but I couldn't. Was this because of Daddy's magic circle?

Daddy and little big brother started talking, but it hurt too much to look at them. Then little big brother bent over in front of me.

"Ed...Ward... friend?" I asked, my neck hurting when I looked at him. Little big brother looked like he wanted to cry.

"That's right," He said, patting my head. It really hurt, though.

"Ed... Ward... Why.. does it... hurt here?" I asked, feeling iffy all over. Like little bugs were biting me over and over, but more hurtful. Little big brother looked at Daddy and started talking. I can't remember what he said.

"... Where are Nina and Alexander?" Little brother asked, his voice sounding mean. Bigger brother gasped, looking at me.

"I hate prodigies like you, Ed. Always so damn perceptive." I looked at Daddy, then at little big brother. Why is little big brother looking at Daddy so mean? What happened?

"How could you, Mister Tucker?" Bigger brother asked. I felt really scared; I thought Daddy was going to take care of us!

"... Because I could. Because I knew that everything was going to change; the only difference was going down with science or without it. So I chose science. In that matter, we aren't so different, are we, Edward?" Little big brother grabbed Daddy's shirt and pushed him into the wall. Then he started punching him, hard, screaming things.

"Stop it Brother! You'll kill him!" Bigger brother shouted. It hurt to move, but I grabbed little big brother's jacket and pulled back, growling. Little big brother looked down, leaving Daddy alone.

"No... Big brother..." I said, my throat hurting. My head too. Little big brother smiled sadly at me.

"Listen, Nina. I need you to bear with me. This might hurt a bit." He said, clapping his hands. Daddy laughed.

"A chimera's perfectly fused to the core. You won't be able to split them up; you'll end up just like you did with your _mother_." Little big brother glared at Daddy and put his hands down.

All of a sudden, a big, scary looking man barged into the basement with a bunch of military soldiers. The man yelled at little big brother, but he just stared at the ground sadly.

"Spare me, sir. He used his own daughter." Little big brother said quietly, patting my head. Some of the soldiers looked at me funny, but in a bad way. Two of them grabbed me, making my whole body hurt really bad. Then they put me in a cage in a car. I could hear little big brother and the big scary man talking, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

The car started shaking, and I could see Daddy sitting down on a bench in the back of the car with me. His hands were tied behind his back, and he had a creepy smile on his face.

Then the car moved, turning on its side and making the door to the cage open up. The door to the back of the car opened up too, and I jumped out. Everything was hurting so bad now.

"Nina!" Little big brother shouted. I looked at him, then started running. I was scared, and everything was hurting...

After a while, I walked into an alley. I saw a man there. He looked sad. I walked up to him, my insides hurting. He looked at me, and then his arm started glowing.

"Your makeup. You're one part human and one part beast..." The man said, looking really sad. He patted my head. It didn't hurt so much now.

"You poor creature... You're a sin against nature and your body's in so much pain... Oh merciful God who shapes us all, please return these scarred souls to your unending womb." He said. His arm was glowing again, and my head felt hot. It wasn't hurting that much; it just felt weird. I could almost hear Alexander barking now. The light started disappearing, making everything go black, but I wasn't scared. I could hear Mommy and Alexander. They were waiting for me.

* * *

**A/N: Okay. So I only got one review for that first chapter, but you know what? It was really nice! So thank you! **

**This one's during the anime, episode 7 "Night of the Chimera's Cry". It sounds a little weird to me, but whatever. I'm sleepy, I have work to do, and I'm sick. I do have another one planned, but it's also pretty... angsty? Yeah. Well. If you liked it, (or didn't like it), leave a review. Constructive criticism is appreciated. But if I get flames, I'll send 'em right back. Kays?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**


	3. The Kill

**The Alchemy Index**

**File 3: The Kill**

**-------------------------------------**

The smells from the butcher shop were wafting in from the open window in the kitchen. Sure, having a butcher shop next to your house might seem unconventional (especially in the summer), but it's my job; how else would I live? Especially now with the wife. Who was currently irritating the hell out of me, might I add.

"Barry? Barry, are you listening to me?"

"Yes honey. Of course," I muttered on autopilot, not even flinching as her voice made its way to my ears as I sharpened another butcher knife. They always have to be sharp, you know; a butcher is only as good as his knife.

"No you're not." A voice growled angrily above me. I cracked my neck, taking a deep breath and looking up. As pretty as my wife is, she's an annoying little wench.

"What?" I snapped, clenching my knife tightly. She glared at me with a pissed off expression.

"What do you mean, 'What?' I told you to clean up that mess _hours_ ago. And what happened to that wall? How many times have I told you not to do your _butcher thing_ inside the house? I mean, my goodness! I am not going to clean that up, Barry. It's bad enough that I have to slave away while you and your friends get drunk at that stupid shop! I'm not going to clean that again. Barry? _Are you listening to me?!_"

All through her rant, I could feel my patience running thin. The glint of my knife caught my eye, and I stared at the sharpened edge, almost in a trance. _Stupid blond. Doesn't have enough brains to fill a teaspoon, never mind that head of hers. Actually, it'd be kind of interesting to see how big her brain is. Or her insides for that matter. Would they be the same as a cow's or a pig's...?_

I felt my cheek sting suddenly, and I looked up, my wife's angry face looming over me. I touched my cheek, shocked. The knife was still in my hand... I grinned up at her.

"You're right, sweetie. It was wrong of me to ignore you... Let me make it up to you..." I whispered, picking up my knife and plunging it straight through her heart. Her eyes... they were open so wide, it looked like if they were about to fall out. I chuckled, watching her blood run down my arm. Her mouth opened and closed, like a fish.

I pulled the knife out of the wound, watching curiously as the blood sprang up like a fountain. _Who knew people had so much blood in them?_

"What was that now?" I asked her, feeling the sticky substance coat my arm. Her eyes, always so full of anger, were slowly dimming. On the other hand, her blood kept on gushing out of her chest. Maybe I hit an artery.

"Now, why don't we see what's inside that empty head of yours?" I asked, carefully running my knife across her neck. I felt a strange satisfaction as the knife sliced through her spinal cord. I might be onto something here...

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**Mysterious Killer Strikes Again**

_**Throughout these past two months, a series of 15 murders**_

_**have been committed here in Central, leaving police and military**_

_**clueless as to the true identity of the murderer. Both Central police**_

_**and the State Military Investigations Department**_

_**are struggling to find what seems to be the work of**_

_**a demented serial killer. Our staff has learned from an**_

_**anonymous source that the killer may or may not be working**_

_**with a partner. We urge all citizens to do all important business before**_

_**dark. If you do need to be out at night, try to be accompanied by someone.**_

_**We will keep you updated on this serial killer as soon as information is available.**_

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**A/N: I don't know... It seems really choppy and stuff... It's absolute crap. Oh well. I guess I was kinda sleepy and I had a bunch of projects due this week, so I lost all inspiration I had at the beginning of this fic. All of you who **_**are**_** reading this, don't give up hope on me. I promise it'll be better.**


	4. Someone That You're With

**The Alchemy Index**

**By Amaya 24**

**File 4: Someone That You're With**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"_Ed, knock it off_!"

"_OW! I will as soon as you do_!"

"_Lemme goooo_!!!!!!!"

"_Hey! Quit pulling my hair, you sissy_!"

"_I'm gonna tell Mom you called me names_!"

"Guys, stop!" A little blond haired girl shouted. She was sitting on a wooden fence, staring at the two figures wrestling in the dirt before her. At her feet, a little black puppy jumped around, eager to get into the fight. She glanced behind her, hoping her Grandmother would come out and throw something at them; they were starting to get boring

"Stop Den." The girl murmured, watching as the little dog tried to nip one of the blond-haired boys fighting. _How boring_, she thought, glaring at the boys. They'd promised they'd play with her; instead, they started wrestling over nothing.

"Ed! Al! Knock it off!" She shouted again, a little louder this time. Both boys looked up, dust covering their faces and hair. Sweat slicked their hair into random spikes. The shorter one of the two glared at the girl, his golden eyes burning brightly.

"But Winry--"

"--We're gonna see who's gonna marry you." The other one said innocently. The first one nodded vigorously. The little girl laughed, her stomach rumbling hungrily.

"Well, I'm hungry. See you guys later." She said, slipping off the fence and snapping her fingers at the dog to follow, leaving the two boys behind to stare at her back.

"So... who won?" The younger brother asked, gazing at the girl's receding figure. The older brother smirked, straightening up.

"I did, of course!" The shorter one scoffed, puffing up his chest. The younger one pouted, his cheek smarting from one of the stronger hits he'd taken.

"That's not true, Brother! I was winning and you know it!" He snapped, swinging at his brother again. Gold eyes glared into softer silver ones.

"That's it; you're gonna get it!"

For the rest of the afternoon, residents of Resembool heard the sounds of little kids shouting and screaming obscenities at each other.

Trisha Elric sighed wearily, staring out the kitchen window towards the direction her boys' voices were being heard.

"Those boys..." She murmured, heading over to the Rockbell's house to apologize.

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**Woah. This was... short. Oh well. I was planning more, but I've been so swamped lately... Hmm. Oh well. Thanks for reading, I guess:)**

**Um, 'case you didn't get it: little Ed and little Al fighting over who was gonna marry Winry. Oh, and just to make things clear, they're at Winry's house. That's why Trisha's gonna apologize.**


	5. Let You Down

**The Alchemy Index**

**By Amaya 24**

**File 5: Let You Down**

**---------------------------------------------**

_"Mom! Mom! Look!" I shouted, running towards my mother. It was like a dream; she looked just like she did when we were younger, setting up the laundry to dry. _

_"Mommy, look!" I shouted again, deliriously happy at seeing her smiling face again. I held out my hand, where the little metallic horse I made when I was little lay._

_Mom smiled warmly, hanging up a wet blanket and bent down closer to me._

_"What do you have there, Edward?" She asked me, smiling widely as I handed her the horse._

_"Look Mom!" I cheered. "I made it," I giggled proudly. _

_"That's very well done, Ed, darling." She praised me, making me smile. _

_All of a sudden, the air changed, the sky turning a bloody red._

_"That's very well done, darling," Mom repeated, her voice echoing eerily. "You did a very good job,"_

_I backed away slightly, my eyes widening at the sky. "But why couldn't you put _me_ back together, Ed?" _

_I focused on my mom, fear running through my veins. It was mom, but blood was slowly running from her mouth. Her eyes were hollow -- no, they were _that_ things eyes._

_"Why couldn't you bring me back, darling? Why didn't you bring me back?"_

_---------------------------------------------------------_

I jolted upright, panting hard, almost crying. _It was just a dream, Ed. Just a freakin' dream._

"Just a dream," I repeated, completely covered in cold sweat. I heard rustling next to me and I turned around. Al was sitting up in bed, blinking owlishly.

"Ed, what's wrong?" He murmured sleepily. I sighed, wiping my forehead.

"Nothing, Al. Just go back to sleep." I mumbled, turning over and closing my eyes again. _I'm sorry, Mom. So sorry..._

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**Alright. Short little drabble. I can vaguely remember seeing this in the manga, but I didn't get it word for word. It's crap, but once I get an idea in my head, I need to write to get it out.**

**Review, please?**


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